Pages

9/4/12

The NBA training camp is approaching and we are in the
throes of depth chart despair.Things
are often murky when trying to decipher an early idea of fantasy draft
positions and such.Here at the DNB, we
will take a look at depth charts for each team in the NBA.I will do one division per week until the
start of pre-season.Hopefully, this
gives some clarity to a confusing element of fantasy basketball.

Let’s start with the Central division.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Position

Player

Player

Player

Player

C

A. Varajeo

T. Zeller

J. Leuer

PF

T. Thompson

S. Samuels

L. Harangody

SF

C. Miles

O. Casspi

A. Gee

SG

D. Waiters

K. Azubuike

D. Gibson

PG

K. Irving

D. Gibson

D. Sloan

J. Pargo

The key to understanding the Cavaliers is in understanding what
their future investments are.There is
certainly no playoff intentions with the roster they have put together this
off-season.With Kyrie Irving, Dion
Waiters, and Tristan Thompson almost certain to garner minutes, there are still
some minutes to go around for stop-gaps and sleepers.Depending on what the Cavaliers do with
Varajeo, Tyler Zeller could come into some decent minutes. He seems projected
to be the replacement for Varajeo, who is certainly out of place on a very
young roster of players in the post-LeBron era.On top of that Varajeo has only played 56 games in two years.This leaves fantasy owners a little
apprehensive when it comes to the soon to be 30 year old center.

Another interesting battle in the depth chart is the small forward
position.It is totally up for grabs at
this stage with no clear winner.Casspi
has struggled since leaving Sacramento and Miles has never truly been relevant
in fantasy even though he has had many opportunities with the Jazz.

The Pacers have a line-up that is very much set in
stone.With a decent playoff run that
got them into the second round, and at one stage in a series lead against the
Heat, the Pacers look to keep their core group active and prominent.

One major battle that sticks out is the battle at PG.Newcomer Augustin is coming off a
disappointing season with the Bobcats and into a position that could make him
relevant again.There is not much
quality depth on the bench in Indiana so Augustin may come to be an important
factor in terms of scoring and touches.

On draft day, you may want to avoid David West in the early
rounds as he is not quite his former self and his numbers have steadily
declined on the Pacers.Look for Hill to
post some big numbers and become a viable fantasy option in the early rounds.

The Chicago Bulls are somewhat of a head scratcher at the
guard position.With Rose most likely
missing a lot of the regular season, we will see a rotation of has-beens suit
up for Tom Thibideou.Frankly, I would
stay away from every guard on the Bulls.There are too many question marks surrounding each player.The only glimmer of hope might just be
Marquis Teague but he is buried deep in the roster and may never see the light
of day with all the vets ahead of him.If you are utterly desperate, keep an eye on what they do with Belinelli.
His 3FG% might be useful down the stretch, if he is getting any minutes, of
course.

The front line on the Bulls is fairly straightforward.All of Noah, Boozer and Gibson should receive
significant minutes.In fact, Boozer and
Noah should be solid early round additions to any fantasy roster.Add Gibson in the mid to late rounds as a
solid breakout option.

Sure bets: Boozer (early), Noah (early), Deng (mid)

Sleepers: Gibson, Robinson

Pass on: Hamilton, Hinrich

Milwaukee Bucks

Position

Player

Player

Player

Player

C

D. Gooden

S. Dalembert

J. Pryzzbilla

PF

E. Ilyasova

E. Udoh

J. Henson

L. Sanders

SF

M. Dunleavy

L. Mbah a Moute

Tobias Harris

SG

M. Ellis

D. Lamb

PG

B. Jennings

B. Udrih

The 2013 Bucks roster seems built to fail.Their surefire center was traded away for
Monta Ellis, who can be troublesome in the locker room.The frontcourt on this team is loaded with
inconsistent misfits that are far from well-rounded.The only bright-spot seems to be 4th
year power forward Ersan Ilyasova.His
PER of 20.55 may in fact solidify starter minutes on this squad.The true quandary on this team lies is
veteran big man Drew Gooden.He seems to
be a great fantasy option and can score and rebound with efficiency.However, his lack of defense will get him
pulled many nights in favor of a shot blocking Dalembert.

Jennings and Ellis are locked in to start for Scott
Skiles.Yet, there are minutes to be had
in the rotation for Lamb and Udrih to produce.

After Jennings, Ilyasova and Ellis, I would tread lightly
with the rest of the roster as Skiles messes with his rotation all too often
and can drive a fantasy GM completely mad.

Where do I begin?When half the team is constructed with d-league quality players, it is
tough to decide on sure bets and sleeper, don’t you think?

Now, let us look at the sure fire bets to get minutes and
produce on this team.Firstly, Greg
Monroe will be a top center to aim for in the early rounds.He should be targeted and is a hot commodity.
If he is there, you may want to consider him as a number one option at center.After Monroe, you may want to look at Rodney
Stuckey or even Brandon Knight.Although, Stuckey can be erratic at times and if you care about your TO
rate or FG% you may want to look elsewhere first.Knight should see a steady increase in
production and FGA.Look for him as a
prime candidate to have a breakout season on a team full of sad sacs.

At the small forward and power forward positions, Singler
sticks out as a player that may get his shot this year.Prince’s days are over, so, one would assume
that room will be made for Daye or Maggette to see some time.But don’t look at Maggette too long because
for as much time he has spent in his career on the court, he has spent on the
bench or on the IR and you can’t produce there, can you?Definitely pass on Daye because he is, as
Barkley would say: “tuurrrible.”Daye’s
shooting percentage is horrible and his PER is even worse.Austin’s days are numbered in the NBA (sorry
I had to).

To Contact The Dino Nation Blog

If you ever have a question or concern or request. You can always contact the Dino Nation Blog @t Dinoblogger@gmail.com

I am always willing to talk with folks for interviews etc. I currently am doing 2 regular radio appearances weekly. But I am always willing to do more stuff large or small. Whatever it is you would like to discuss I will be happy to reply.